iTV

While we've seen the Apple device known as Apple TV existing and updating steadily over the past several years, it's still the full television set - screen and all - that hold sway over talks on where the company is going. Word today from sources speaking with Quartz suggests that Apple is not going to focus on bringing a standard cable TV experience to the public if and when they create what's still commonly referred to as "iTV", but an app-focused hardware and software combination.

This week a patent application has been discovered to have been filed by Apple one week ago, this patent application seeking rights to a method for fusing glass. This glass fusion process is described by Apple to be working with several different kinds of products, this ranging from iPhones to iPad, iPods to televisions, and displays in general. While it's unlikely that this process would affect launches in the coming months, it's certainly feasible that Apple would have fused glass bits within the next year.

The Apple television rumors are heating up again, folks. Only this time, there's some extra information that's floating around. In what sounds like a completely ridiculous prediction, analyst Brian White of Topeka Capital Markets says that an Apple television will launch this year, and it will come with an "iRing" of sorts as the motion controller. However, will it ever see the light of day? Not likely.

It would appear that the next-generation Apple TV set that's been rumored for many, many moons may well be coming with a bang - a 3D imaging bang that's more than twice its worth in bucks. It's being reported today by analysts at Morgan Stanley that Apple will not just be bringing a full-fledged TV set to the market very soon, but that it could very well be bringing with it a barrage of next-generation context-aware or otherwise 3D sensitive technology. This set of suggestions comes from a combination of a rather "ripe" market for an "iTV" product and the fact that Apple has filed a lovely collection of patents over the past set of years that together would create a magical device ready for hot sales and an imminent release.

Apple's major manufacturing partner, Foxconn, has revealed interest in purchasing more shares in Sharp, raising speculation that the two companies are working towards supplying Apple's rumored television set. Some analysts have dubbed the anticipated Apple HDTV the "iTV" and expect manufacturing for the device to being later this year.

Foxconn is denying reports that its CEO Terry Gou confirmed any plans for the much rumored Apple television set. The China Daily reported last week that during a speech at the start of building Foxconn's new headquarters, Gou revealed that the company had already begun preparations for Apple's iTV.

Sharp announced today that it began production of 32-inch HI-DPI LCD panels last month at its Kameyama Plant No. 2, which has long been manufacturing advanced LCDs for TVs. These pixel-dense high-performance displays are the world's first to incorporate IGZO oxide semiconductors and could be used for Apple's much rumored iTV, if perhaps over-enthusiastic analysts are to be believed.

Ready for yet another Apple television rumor? Good. According to a new report from analyst Peter Misek, Apple’s television is expected to enter production in May or June, and will launch in the fourth quarter of this year. Supposedly “specialty components” have begun shipping from Asia that would allow Apple to finally build the mythical and mysterious high-definition television.

This week Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that Apple TV will be refreshed with a new device that supports 1080p video, this standard also set for the iTunes movie store as well. As Cook noted, "we're also announcing that movies and TV shows in the iTunes store support 1080p HD. They are absolutely incredible quality." In addition it was announced that Apple TV would get a software upgrade, presenting a "new streamlined user interface" as well as iTunes Match support.

It's time to begin Apple's latest and greatest event here starting in just a moment on SlashGear via our liveblog portal at http://live.slashgear.com/. We'll be blogging the whole event through our liveblogging portal as well our main news feed which you can filter by heading to our official Apple portal as well. We're expecting the next generation iPad, either called iPad HD or iPad 3, and some updates to Apple TV or iTV, whichever it'll be called when we see it. Stay tuned!